The Cincinnati Bengals upset the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in the AFC divisional playoffs Saturday night at Nissan Stadium.
The Titans possessed the No. 1 seed and were able to take in the entire AFC during wild-card weekend. The extra rest also allowed them to ensure dynamic running back Derrick Henry was healthy and well rested despite a nine-game layoff due to a Jones fracture.
For the second straight season, the Titans won the AFC South, and in as many seasons, they squandered a home playoff game.
The lack of playoff success despite the home-field advantage begs the question: is Titans coach Mike Vrabel becoming the next Bill O’Brien?
The former Houston Texans coach was known for leading teams that had a dominant defense and a commitment to the running game. Some how, some way, the Texans were able to win two AFC South titles in O’Brien’s first three seasons as coach. Much like Vrabel’s first season as the Titans coach in 2018, O’Brien’s Texans missed the playoffs in 2014, his first year as coach, due to tiebreakers. Nevertheless Houston finished with a winning record — much like the Titans in Vrabel’s first year.
Where Vrabel, a former Texans linebackers coach from 2014-16 and defensive coordinator in 2017, is similar to O’Brien is his inability to win a playoff game at home. Tennessee slipped up to the Baltimore Ravens 20-13 in the 2020 AFC wild-card at Nissan Field, and then there is 2021’s latest result in the divisional round.
What Vrabel was able to do in his second year was lead Tennessee on a deep playoff run as a wild-card team. The Titans ended the Tom Brady era in New England in the 2019 AFC wild-card, stunned the Ravens in the divisional, and made it a close game with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The Titans were a formidable road team in all three rounds.
Since then, Vrabel and the Titans have looked very O’Brien-ish.